


CRUMBS!

by LeftNotRight



Series: The Baker's Daughter (And Related Works) [2]
Category: Katekyou Hitman Reborn!
Genre: Don’t copy to another site, Drabble, Drabble Collection, F/F, F/M, Ficlet Collection, M/M, One Shot Collection, Side Story, this is basically my dumping zone
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-03-23
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-11-28 13:16:34
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 18,134
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18208802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LeftNotRight/pseuds/LeftNotRight
Summary: "The leftover breadcrumbs from the actual loaves of the story"-Flowerhana2.A collection of side stories, dabbles and random one-shots for The Baker's Daughter!





	1. Cheater

**Hey, it me, Lenori!**

**I have a growing accumulation of little crumbs that hang around my computer after I finish packing The Baker's Daughter loaves and as such, I have decided to open my own little crumb collector to share with you all.**

**My Discord companions will also be assisting me in this quest with their occasional request for one-shots or inspirations. So thank you to you lot!**

**. . .**

**And now, without further ado: Welcome to CRUMBS!**

* * *

**Cheater**

Timeframe: TYL-Everyone  
Characters: Daiki, Takeshi, Ryohei, Kyoko (mentioned OC)

A wee bit of angst'n'fluff to kick us off!

**Word Count: 2632**

* * *

Takeshi beamed at me as I closed the door to our room behind my back, a loud, joyous greeting leaping from him, absolutely lighting up the room despite the late hour.

It broke my heart.

"Daiki! How was your day?" the Rain cooed, closing his laptop to give me undivided attention, like he always did, no matter how important his work was at the time. His smile began to fade after a moment, the familiarity he had with me showing as he started to sense that not all was well. "Shujin-chan, is something wrong?"

I thinned my lips and fiddled with the large, yellow envelope in my hands, before setting it down on his desk, making him glance between it and I.

"Look inside it, please," I uttered, fighting to keep my mind apathetic, even as my throat seized up, requiring an active breath to loosen it.

Takeshi blinked, before doing as I had instructed, taking the envelope, the paper crinkling loudly in the quiet room, a stack of photos coming to be pulled out. He paused, set its packaging back down, and began to quickly flip through the photos, his hands beginning to shake as he went deeper in.

"When were you going to tell me?" I asked, looking down at him, still seated. "Were you even going to?"

He didn't speak, still quietly paging through the slides.

I felt my eyes sting and grow hot, despite how I thought I had been thorough spent, as I caught unsightly glimpses of those photos. It hurt. It hurt so much to see them, so see the person I loved so dearly throwing his head back as someone, with brown cropped hair and a swimsuit suntan, buried his anatomy deep into their throat. The bed in the photo was familiar too, so were the walls and the desks and the pillows. Our room. That was our room in the Vongola Mansion.

In our room, in our bed, Takeshi had  _cuckolded_ me.

My lips came to be pinched between my teeth as I tamed the burn in my eyes, willing my vision to remain clear even as I saw the edges swimming. Fists balled at my sides and my shoulders tightened, breath attempting to harshen, but I held it all down and remained composed.

"Are you going to say anything, Yamamoto Takeshi?"

The Rain's grip was slack on the bundle. He remained muted. He and I both knew, that no defence could save him here.

I gazed at him a moment longer, seeing the ring on his finger gleam like mine did, before I turned and made to walk from our room.

"Daiki!"

Arms wrapped around my waist from behind and clutched brutally tight to keep me from fleeing further, my eyes widening for a moment before I regained my flat expression.

"Daiki, wait, I-" he started, holding me to him. "Let me just-"

"Why did you do it, Takeshi?" I asked, turning around and breaking from his grasp, gazing at him evenly. "Why?"

"It was an accident! I just- I don't-"

"You 'accidentally' let her suck you off?" I grunted sceptically.

"No- Yes! Oh, God, Daiki, I don't know!" he spluttered, reaching for me again, making me step back, not wanting any possible remains of weeks old vaginal fluid of some woman touching me. "I was drunk, and I missed you so badly and-"

"You could have called me. We always call," I responded.

"Touching! I missed you touching me!" Takeshi cried, stepping forward again. "I missed your warmth so badly, I missed being able to curl up against you! Talking to you can only fill so much of that gap!"

"So you replaced me?"

"No! No, no, no! God, no!"

I blinked at the surety of the denial but didn't let that little bloom of hope quench that painful drought in me.

"Nothing could ever replace you!" he shouted, a hand coming to clutch at the breast of his nightshirt. "Nothing! I swear, Daiki!"

"You were drunk," I began, watching his eyes rise and slowly light up. "You missed me. It was an accident."

"Yes, God, yes, an accident. Just an-"

"That's a lot of excuses you just pulled out, Yamamoto Takeshi," I breathed, my eyes critical to hide their cracks. "But not once have even thought to apologise."

The Rain ground to a halt. His smile dropped, and I could see the visceral terror that bubbled to life and flooded his veins. He stepped forwards, unsteady and shaky, before taking up my face in his hands, the palm painfully comforting, smelling of ink and bamboo.

"I love you. I love you so much. I could never want anything other or more than you because you are the peak of everything, Daiki," he panted, mouth dry in his panic. "I'm sorry. I'm so, so, so sorry. My love, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Please. I'm sorry."

I wanted to hold him as he shook. I wanted to make it all go away, he never did anything, and we were happy.

Takeshi pressed his brow to my shoulder and wrapped his arms around my chest, shuddering every breath as he lined up apology after apology, oathing his heart to me. He froze, before he snapped his head up with wide eyes and gazed at me, his breath pausing within him.

"No...no, Daiki, don't cry."

I blinked, surprised, and another tear rolled down my cheek, following the trail the other had left.

"No, no. Please, I'm sorry, love, beautiful, don't cry," he urged brokenly, his own warm eyes going misty with salted water. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll make it better, don't cry, my love."

My heart squeezed at his words and the warmth of his body soaked into me with unrelenting comfort, luring me to lay my head on his shoulder and just forget. But I steeled myself and stepped back out of the Rain's embrace, turned on my heel and fled the Rain dorm. The sounds of Takeshi's shouts and attempt to follow me were silenced with the bang of the solid wood door, leaving me to bite my lip and let my feet to carry me away, unsure of where they'd take me in this place.

"Bro?" Ryohei asked, making me look up from the floor. We were outside his room, the Sun dorm. His eyes widened when he saw my state. "Come on, inside."

My wrist was grasped and I let my fellow Flame lead me in, the place warm and scenting of polyester and leather.

Ryohei dropped off what he had tucked under his arm, before turning to me again, both of us dropping down in his bed. A long sigh of exhaustion gushed from me as I relaxed a little, coming closer to cuddle with my warm brother Sun, his arms strong enough to hold me together as sluggish tears made their way down my face.

"What happened, bro?" he asked, rubbing my back.

I shuddered and pressed my face deeper into his chest, fingers coming to my hair and making me go up in tingles.

"...Takeshi has cheated on me with someone," I choked out, the sentence painful and bitter, an overwhelming desire to flush my pallet coming after.

"He  _what!?"_  Kyoko bellowed, slamming the door behind her, violently kicking off her shoes before she crawled in with us.

"Imouto-chan," I breathed in surprise, feeling her squish me against her smaller body. "I thought you went out."

"I got the feeling that I needed to come back," she huffed, nosing at my nape. "And thank God I did, Takeshi  _cheated_  on you!?"

Ryohei's grip tightened with each annunciation of the phrase, and I found myself crushed between my fellow Flames in a familial atmosphere.

"That's EXTREMELY unforgivable!" my brother growled, the young sister reaching to pull the blankets up and warm us, seeing how I shivered with every breath.

I coughed, my throat thick, before another bout of tears spilt before I could stop them. Kyoko hugged me, and like she was pushing them out, pathetic whimpers and moans of heartbreak lurched from my lips, leaving me heaving into our brother's chest, Sasagawa arms crossing to hide me from any further pain.

It hurt. It  _hurt_. So  _badly_. Why would he do that? Why? I thought we were doing so well! We were happy!

"Is it..." I began, shaking as the little Sun woman combed my hair. "Is it because I'm not feminine enough? I tried but-"

"No!" Ryohei blurted, "It's not your fault, nothing is your fault! Takeshi's the one to blame here, not you!"

"Ki-nee," Kyoko gasped, kissing my temple. "You're perfect, everyone knows that."

"Then why?" I groaned, clutching my heart as another wave of interior agony pulsed through me. "Why would he- Curel."

"Cruel," Kyoko agreed, kissing my brow again.

**. . .**

Takeshi sat on the floor of the Rain dorm, staring at the door, hoping, praying that it would open again and Daiki would come back. His chest convulsed in waves of pain; pain he knew he deserved.

It was an accident, sleeping with that woman. He had known it when he had brought her to the bed, but alcohol had been pumping in his blood, turned brown to blue and had removed the pale lines of bikini strings to a constant copper-tan. He remembered groaning the name of his wife from between gritted teeth, the girl kneeling before him giggling despite having no idea that amongst his drunken Japanese was a name.

When he had woken, the whole world had crashed down on his head, realisation and self-loathing swamping him before he cast the woman out of the Vongola Mansion, barely dressed and huffy.

He had spent the day scrubbing himself near raw, wanting that woman off of him, fearing that his Daiki would smell it on him. See a stain of lip tint, see a strand of brunette on her pillow.

His friends didn't know. Fellow Guardians unaware of how dirty and disgusting he felt as he skipped breakfast,

" _Love! How are you? I miss you so much!"_ Daiki had cried through the screen, lips stretched into a warm smile that struck him deeply.

She loved him. Daiki loved him and was patient. And he had done  _that_.

When she had arrived at the Mansion, she had wrapped him up in her arms and held him so tight he could have died there happily, head buried in her neck and bathing in her caramel. She crooned and kissed him, and finally, he felt clean, his wife purging him from the other's blight with her affection, legs wrapping around his hips as they laid together, lavishing themselves with their love. Takeshi made sure her pillow was flipped, and she slept more on his side than anywhere else, head resting upon his chest.

The Rain wanted to forget; he wanted to never revisit that pothole in his life that blunder upon the past. He just wanted to stay with his love here, with her, no one else. He'd never do it again, a mistake learnt. He'd suffer the cold of the bed to feel the warmth that came with her and not give into a glaze of alcohol.

Takeshi sat up finally and looked to the clock, seeing the night still young. He shivered from the cold, all the warmth leached from his skin. He got to his feet and turned his gaze upon the bed, before storming forwards and ripping the sheets off, pillows thrown and the heavy mattress dragged off.

He'd fix it. He'd make it better. He'd get rid of the traces of the woman so Daiki could sleep easy in their bed again, knowing only she and him were the ones to have curled together in it.

It only took his moments, minutes, to have piled the mattress and sheets up in the garden and had set them ablaze, the pillar of fire satisfying. He was burning the woman away, burning the mistake away…

A sob broke from him as he watched the mattress they had spent their wedding night upon burn because of him. The pillows Daiki had thrown at him when he chased her with a camera. The sheets Daiki and Lambo built forts from when they spent time with him in Italy.

Takeshi crumbled to the grass, sitting on his heels as he wrapped his arms around his knees and cried, weeping apologies into his night pants.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I love you, Daiki, I'm sorry. Please."

There was rustling beside him before warmth was wrapped around his shoulders. He gasped in surprise and turned, before whimpering as Daiki pressed him against her chest, the blanket she brought enshrouding them from the cold. The Rain clutched at his wife, holding her tightly, fearing she'd leave if he so much as lifted a finger off her.

The Sun sighed and placed a hand to the back of the Rain's head, cradling it as he wept apologies into her chest. She watched their bedding burn with a bitter taste in her mouth, only paying half an ear to her sobbing husband.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please don't hate me, Daiki. Please don't hate me."

"I don't hate you," she breathed, wrapping him up tighter against her as a chill blew through. "But you hurt me. You've hurt me, Takeshi. My heart hurts so bad," her shoulders shook as she squeezed him, "Make it stop. Please, make the pain stop."

Takeshi swore he would lose his mind if he heard any more of her cries, her misery gouging out his heart and abusing him relentlessly. He coiled his arms tight before finding her lips with his own, moulding them together with desperate vigour.

"I love you. I'm sorry, I love you," he gasped between kisses. "I'll never do it again. I love you, I promise, I'll never make this mistake twice."

Daiki gazed at him with tear glassy eyes, unmoved though her embrace consumed him.

"I love you too," she began, her voice crackling like the fire of their sheets. "So I'm giving you another chance, Yamamoto Takeshi. Do not make a cuckold of me again."

"I won't. I won't, I swear," Takeshi promised, grasping her shoulders.

She stared at him for a moment longer, cold and hurt, before she smiled, soft and pure and Takeshi  _hated_ himself.

"Then happy we will be, you and me," and his wife brought him against her chest, the blanket wrapped around them warmly as they watched their possession burn.

"Those sheets aren't…"

"No," Takeshi sighed, curled against her. "Those aren't our wedding sheets. Those were...those were still in the closet."

"...At least there's that," she murmured, and he cuddled her again.

"I'm sorry, my love, I'm sorry."

Daiki turned her head, before leaning forwards and pressing a kiss onto his brow, mocha eyes squeezing shut as she peppered slow affection to his tear-tacky face.

"I think...I'll forgive you eventually, my darling," she sighed, "Just...not immediately."

"I know. I'm sorry, I know. I'll make it better. Whatever you want, I'll make it better,"

The Sun hummed and tucked her husband's head under her chin, dragging blunt nails along his arm, feeling goosebumps rise as another blast of wind went through the yard.

"First things first, we're going to need a new mattress."

"I'll make sure it's bigger and better than that one," he promised, before getting a gentle squeeze.

"No...No, make it the same size. I want to be able to sleep in our wedding sheets again tomorrow."

Takeshi blinked, before smiling small and nuzzling the underside of her jaw, kissing at it, and settling down in her lap, listening to her pulse.

"Whatever you want, my shujin-chan. I love you."

"I love you too, shujin-kun."


	2. Depression

**Depression**

Some Context: I originally meant this to be a resolution to a different timeline in The Baker's Daughter and would have been used if Takeshi had continued to be weird about Daiki's reveal and, as a result, Daiki convinced him they should not break up but see other people - introducing Yomi. But since that's not what happened, I've written a couple of alternative scenes and this has become redundant.

Timeframe: A month post-Future Arc  
Characters: Daiki, Takeshi, minor Ryohei (mentioned OC)

**Word Count:** **6,822**

* * *

 

“What do you mean?” I asked, furrowing my eyebrows as I stared down at the Sky and Storm. “Two days and no word?”

 

“Yeah,” Tsuna nodded, Gokudera lowering his head a bit. “He doesn’t answer his phone, and we’ve called him a few times. Maybe four or five?”

 

A long breath left me as I looked to Ryohei, his arms crossed and teeth worrying the corner of his lips as he glanced between me and the Vongola two. Giving myself a moment, I cast my gaze around before sighing and running my hand through my hair, an unsettlement coming to my stomach.

 

“Have either of you gone to his house? Checked up on him?”

 

“We tried yesterday, but-” Tsuna glanced to his Storm for support, the Italian boy scowling softly as he leant back in his chair.

 

“The freak’s dad shooed us off. We were kind of late, I guess.”

 

I thinned my lips, before putting my hands on my hips and sighed, foot tapping in increasing worry.

 

“Hibari!” I called, spinning on my heel and intercepting the Skylark as he strode past the door to 2-A.

 

“What, handler?” he grunted, pausing to look up at me through slanted eyes.

 

“I’m skipping the rest of school-”

 

There was a flash of eyes and I stepped back to let a tonfa scrape through the air.

 

“To check on the wellbeing of a Namimori student who has been unable to attend scheduled classes,” I finished.

 

A breath of relief hissed out as the Cloud eyed me before nodding and stalking off. Putting a hand over my heart, I heaved before returning to the desks of the Vongola, the three of them giving me startled looks.

 

“You’re going? Now?” Tsuna gaped.

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea? You and Takeshi aren’t- well…”

 

“It’s fine,” I hummed, glancing to the clock. “I think...Yeah, I’ll go. Can you watch my bag for me? Jun-kun will take it after school.”

 

“Alright,” the Sun nodded, before watching me go.

 

**. . .**

 

Peering into the store I ignored the looks of disapproval I was receiving, focusing my attention on trying to spot the owner of TakeSushi. The door to the kitchens swung open, and I gulped when our eyes met, nearly shrivelling when two separate emotions flashed through the swordsman’s eyes.

 

It was the anger that made me was to book it out of there, but it was the faintest flicker of relief and hope that made me step in.

 

“Hey, Tsuyoshi-san,” I coughed, hands clasped behind me as I withered under the man’s eyes.

 

“Hello Daiki,” he gritted, leaving me to simper under his glare.

 

The father narrowed his eyes for another moment, before shaking his chin towards the door of the residence, a gruff sound leaving him as he did.

 

“Get going then. It took you long enough.”

 

“Yes sir, sorry sir,” I murmured rushedly, before speed walking out of the sushi bar, closing the door firmly behind me.

 

Giving a loud whoosh of breath, I slumped against the door and groaned, knowing for a fact that I would never not have a healthy fear of that man. Shaking myself off, I stood and made my way over, pausing at the familiar sticker-outline covered door.

 

I bit my lip as I shuffled unsurely, fingers curling and uncurling in my palm as I glanced from the knob to the rest of the plain.

 

Should I be...Yeah. Yes, Takeshi, my lover or not, was still someone I cared for on an unfathomable level. If he was feeling so...unwell that he couldn’t attend school or even respond to calls, I should definitely check on him.

 

Tsuyoshi had given me the go ahead.

 

I reached out and rapped my knuckles against the door in soft yet sounding notes. There was shuffling from within the room, like someone turning over in their bed, before a tired voice called out.

 

_“Yeah?”_

 

I opened my mouth but found myself unable to utter anything.

 

_“You can come in.”_

 

He must have thought I was his father, with how willing he was to open himself. I thinned my lips and steeled myself, before pushing the door open and locating the little Rain.

 

The curtains were drawn, and it cast the room in a hazy darkness, thin strips of sunlight tossed carelessly across the floor alongside clothes and other articles. A lump in the sheets caught my attention, and my face fell in a kind of helpless woe as the flat, dark hair of the Rain poked out the top.

 

Walking over, I stepped around discarded baseballs and magazines, a bit of homework here and a sock over there. As I came to a stop beside the boy’s bed, I paused, the flash of his phone catching my attention.

 

Glancing between the two, I reached out and flipped it from its face-down position and opened it.

 

_4 missed calls from Tsuna._

_4 messages from Tsuna._

 

_1 missed call from Gokudera._

_12 messages from Gokudera._

 

“Oh, Takeshi…” I breathed, looking them over.

 

The sheets shifted suddenly, and then dark mocha eyes peeked out from within, unsure and more than a little drained.

 

Not tired, no. _Drained._

 

“Daiki?” Takeshi whispered like he wasn’t sure that I was there.

 

“Hey,” I smiled, closing the phone and lowering myself to sit on the floor, eye level with the Rain. “How are you? You’ve been missing from school.”

 

Eyes flickered.

 

“I’m just a bit sick is all,” he laughed, the sound like injected silicon.

 

“Really?” I asked, not believing, but not showing that. “Did you catch it from someone?”

 

“Maybe…” he started, “Maybe another student.”

 

“Mm,” I agreed softly, nodding my head a little. “Can I feel your forehead? Is it bad?”

 

“Not really, just a bit annoying, you know?” the Rain murmured, watching my hand as it rose like some sort of threat.

 

I stopped at the look, before lowering it onto the bed, letting my hand rest just beyond his den, where he could see it.

 

“Have you been in bed all day?” I asked, leaning forward to rest my chin on my arms.

 

“Mm,” he nodded, and I swore he squirmed to be closer.

 

I smiled at him, taking in how his face shone in certain parts with oil, his hair pressed flat and his lips pressed tight.

 

“Takeshi,” I started, this time, letting the worry pinch my brow. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

 

Takeshi didn’t answer.

 

I took a breath and stood slowly before moving away from his bedside. Takeshi jumped the slightest bit at that, and I looked over my shoulder at the sound, hissing when I saw him clutching his blankets in a threat to rip the threads.

 

“I’m not going anywhere,” I assured softly, taking off my blazer and unloading my phone from my pocket. “I’m just getting settled.”

 

Humming a low tune that I knew we both recognised, I walked back over to the Rain’s bed and pushed him the slightest bit. Brown eyes blinked at me before he moved back, and I crawled into the newly vacated space.

 

“You’re not feeling too happy right now, are you?” I breathed, sitting up against the headboard.

 

“Not...Not really,” he murmured, looking off.

 

I gazed at him for a few more moments, before glancing to the pictures on the wall, stalling when I saw a frame I didn’t recognise. It was bright pink and possessed plastic hearts tacky with glitter, making it clear that Takeshi wasn’t the one who bought it himself. My lips thinned when I saw the faces cramped uncomfortably into the frame, Yomi grinning with teeth from behind a layer of admittedly well applied gloss.

 

The sudden reminder made me rethink where I was, and if I should have just mentioned it to his new partner instead, but a small tug at my pant leg drew my attention from my inner workings. Tanned fingers pinched the material the slightest bit, and my heart lurched when I saw how knuckle were worried raw, red with irritation.

 

Looking to the curled up mass, I sighed, before reaching out, a bit unsurely, and slowly pulling the boy up onto my chest, his head falling onto my shoulder. Takeshi stiffened, but that only lasted until I dragged the blankets of his sanctuary over him again, fitting the soft wrapping around his frame, before securing him with my arms. He seemed to shudder despite how near unbearably warm he was and pressed closer as I pressed my cheek to the top of his head.

 

“Takeshi,” I sighed, “Be kind to yourself.”

 

The Rain blinked at the far wall, but his hand came to grip at my shirt.

 

“Do you want to tell me what’s wrong? Really?”

 

Lips became pressed together as the swordsman coiled, making me pause and rethink my approach. Squeezing the swordsman gently, I felt the other inhale from my collar, a soft little action that I would usually miss. A hand came off his side, and I used it to softly card his hair, combing the locks out of his eyes and allowing me to just gently tap my nose against his brow.

 

“Friend, you make me worry,” I murmured, patting the puffed blankets that curled around his hip.

 

Takeshi moved groggily and I sighed as I cuddled him to me, feeling the boy accept, and perhaps even mould into the embrace.

 

We stayed like that until the sun had shifted its position in the sky, tainting it peach as I breathed into the Rain’s ear, just remaining in the quiet company. He had probably fallen asleep at some point, his eyes shut and his face peaceful as he curled in my chest, hand never losing its hold on my breast pocket, threatening to rip it off with a great grip.

 

At one point, the door cracked open, and Tsuyoshi peeked in. We glanced to each other, before I turned my attention back on the boy in my arms, softly dragging my fingers down the length of his spine, making croaked little croons come from his vocals. The father looked between us, before nodding and closing the door behind him as he vanished again, leaving me to lie with his son who slowly roused at the soft click of the door.

 

“Hey,” I greeted quietly as mocha eyes blinked up at me blearily, my hand touching at the shell of his ear in a familiar manner. “Have a good sleep?”

 

Takeshi gazed for a few seconds more, before nodding slowly, the corners of his lips quivering into a fragile smile. He lowered his head until his cheek rested on my chest as he looked up at me, still rather subdued, but seemingly in a lighter mood than before.

 

I smiled and grazed his cheek with my knuckles before carding his scalp.

 

“When was the last time you took a shower?” I asked, not offensively, just another conversation starter.

 

He thinned his lips.

 

“I think...Monday morning,” came his careful response.

 

Today was Wednesday.

 

A long breath flowed from my lips, and I carefully slipped him from on top of me, laying him on his side and touching at his crown. Tilting my head down at him I smiled softly before getting to my feet, screeching to a halt as a hand bound my wrist.

 

“Don’t...”

 

“Just give me a sec, yeah?” I urged, fingering at his hand, before grabbing my blazer off the back of his chair.

 

Flapping it out, I wrung it to make it firm before offering the material to the boy, watching as he eyed it, before dragging the piece into his den. The way he hid his face in the back of my blazer made me smile, and I lightly trailed my fingers along the rise of his cheek, before stepping back and leaving the room slowly.

 

Finding the bathroom a couple of doors down, I grabbed a plastic bowl from the rack and splashed down the bath quickly, getting any hair or dust that remained gone from the sides, before wrestling the plug free from a pile of sponges and filling the tub with steaming water. As it rose, I grabbed two towels and hung them over the screen of the shower, leaving them to sway with one another as I checked the water temperature and manipulated the knobs to lessen the heat.

 

Returning to the Rain’s room, I leant forwards and carefully dislodged the boy’s blankets, humming a tune to him as he curled with the reveal.

 

“Come on, Takeshi, let’s go now,” I urged, offering him my hand.

 

Takeshi stared at me for a few moments, before sighing, and unfurling his long body with a kind of creaky sluggishness. His warm hand slid into mine and I tried to ignore how much I paid attention to the weight and heat that came with it, instead, tugging him up and out of his bed with a few coaxing smiled and laughs.

 

“Oh, don’t make that face!” I chuckled, seeing the way he created a miffed pout as he was fully drawn from the realm of his room.

 

His cheek puffed the tiniest bit, and I pulled him a step closer to me as we continued down, passing Tsuyoshi who glanced at us from the resident door and closed it behind him.

 

“Here we go,” I hummed, feeling the water again before spinning the knobs off. “I think that’s warm enough.”

 

Takeshi kept looking at me, not having moved from where I had left him just within the door, fingering his own hand in an almost absent manner.

 

“Come now, friend, you know how to do this,” I laughed, coming up and lightly touching his biceps in a familiar manner.

 

He glanced up to my eyes before dropping them to the side.

 

“Don’t...Don’t call me that.”

 

I blinked, head cocking the slightest bit.

 

“Don’t call you…?”

 

“‘Friend’,” he uttered, this time, holding my gaze. “Don’t call me ‘friend’. Please. I am a lot of things but only your friend isn’t...Daiki.”

 

He stepped forward and grabbed at the end of my shirt, looking imploring as my hand automatically took up his cheek in a soft manner, thumbing long his cheekbone. My lips pulled into a worried frown as he slid his hands to settle on the low of my back, trying to press me closer, but I kept my ground.

 

“Remember to make room for Yomi-san,” I breathed.

 

And in an instant, I knew I had hurt something within him.

 

He seemed to shrivel at the name alone, eyes and hands falling as his head bowed in quiet acceptance of the refusal.

 

It was painful. My heart was being crushed in a vice-

 

I coaxed him to undress and led him to the steaming bath, hand offered as assistance, to which he took and refused to let go of afterwards. A sigh escaped me at the action, but as I set myself down on a stool beside the bath, I pressed my cheek to the back of his hand, exhaling into the raw mounds of his knuckles to sooth them.

 

“I don’t like Yomi-chan.”

 

I looked up from the soft attention at his confession.

 

“You’re dating her though,” I uttered, blowing cool air onto his wounds. “You must like her to an extent.”

 

“No,” he denied, still looking at the rippling surface of the water. “I don’t.”

 

My fingers danced across the crimson hills of his knuckles slowly, and I only watched with a quiet acceptance as his hands rose free of mine and wrapped around my shoulders. He was as strong as he was fragile, and my resistance was as brittle as it was sturdy, causing our brows to rest against each other at the porcelain border between us, mute puffs of steam rising and brushing out cheeks as we sat in silence.

 

“I love you.”

 

My arm came up and wrapped around him, pulling the Rain against the edge as he spoke again softly.

 

“I love you.”

 

“You need to take better care of yourself,” I sighed, rubbing circles into his shoulder blade with my thumb, letting him bump to tips of our noses together. “C’mon, let’s get you clean.”

 

“You love me, too,”

 

I pressed my lips tightly together and began to mutely wash water across his back, feeling him cling to me for comfort. Comfort I was all too willing to give.

 

“You love me too. That’s why you came.”

 

A hand slid from my back and dragged until my cheek was forcefully turned, amber-earth meeting mocha. Takeshi looked tired but determined to get his point across, and by this point, I was already weak in heart and mind.

 

“You love me. Don’t you?”

 

“Takeshi-”

 

“You love me,” he insisted, cupping my cheeks with damp hands to draw me from a protective curl. “You do. You love me.”

 

“Takeshi, stop,” I tried again, wavering when he cared my hair in a soft scrape. “Takeshi.”

 

“You’re not denying it,” the Rain uttered slowly, touching and playing with my earing, rolling the silver knob in his fingers. “You’re not denying that you love me, Daiki.”

 

“What do you want me to say?” I breathed, a bitter tone coming as my brow pinched. “Do you want me to say ‘no, I don’t love you anymore’?”

 

My arms came and wrapped around his chest, collecting him to the porcelain edge as he tightened his claim.

 

“Do you want me to say that I’ve given up on you? That the devotion I had for you has faded? I’ve grown bored?”

 

“Stop that.”

 

“I’m sorry.”

 

Takeshi shivered, before sighing and shook his head.

 

“You’re doing this to punish yourself, Daiki,” he said, drawing my eyes back to him. “You’re punishing yourself, and you’re hurting me in the process. Didn’t you say you wouldn’t hurt me?”

 

“I’m trying to get you to free yourself, you’ve given yourself to me for so long,”

 

“You’re being selfish, shujin-chan.”

 

I thinned my lips at the title, but nodded against him, not denying what he had said.

 

“Yeah, I know.”

 

“I don’t want to leave you, I’m happy with you. Don’t my feelings matter too?”

 

“Of course they matter, but-”

 

“Then why can’t you let us be happy? Why do you have to blame yourself for everything? You self-centred idiot.”

 

A huff of humour burst from my lips, and I felt him draw his nails through my shirt in a shiver-inducing manner.

 

“Just tell me the truth, okay?” he asked, pulling back slightly so we could see each other out of the blur.

 

I tilted my head minutely, expression one of soft acceptance as I gazed at the Rain, seeing him patient.

 

“I love you, Takeshi. I love you, my shujin-kun.”

 

He smiled, slow and pure and I _hated_ myself.

 

“I love you too, so much.”

 

I muttered curses as I buried my face in his shoulder, feeling him kiss at my temple warmly.

 

“I’m sorry, I love you,” I apologised, nuzzling into him desperately. “I love you so much. I _do_.”

 

“I know, I’m happy,” he sighed, cuddling with a vengeance. “I love you, you self-centred, short-sighted dummy.”

 

“Come and bathe with me?”

 

I blinked and looked to the door, before nodding with a weak smile, face flushing a bit at his nervous excitement. Standing, I stripped myself of my clothes in a shaky manner, shivering when a damp hand touched my thighs as I worked off my binder with unsteady motions.

 

“Shh, I’m here,” he urged, seeing my hesitation.

 

I smiled as I tossed aside the restrictor and stepped out of my boxers, sliding my hand into his and lacing our fingers affectionately as he helped me step into the bath. A hiss escaped me at the sudden warmth, and Takeshi guided me down until I was laid on my back against the wall of the bath, letting him shuffle until he could drape himself on my chest and relax against me.

 

“I’m sorry, I love you,” I repeated, wrapping an arm around his waist as he settled between my legs, letting them frame his.

 

“I’m happy,” he smiled, and I kissed his cheek softly.

 

Coiling my arms around him when he settled, I pulled him against me and pressed my nose into his hair, inhaling the scent that I had missed - and nearly given away. Breathing deep, I squeezed my beloved tightly, hearing him give puffed humour, head falling back to gaze at the ceiling, touching at the hand pressed to his heart in an effort to feel the beat.

 

“I love you,” the Rain breathed, pushing back into my chest until he slotted under my chin and gathered my higher face in his hands. “I love you, Daiki.”

 

“I love you, Takeshi,” I promised quietly, the sound bouncing off the water surface to spin around us.

 

His cheeks flushed a mild hue, before he grasped a cloth and wet it, taking my hands into his. I remained quiet as he cleaned off the day’s work and his own oils from my palms and fingers, scrubbing firmly, but gently, before letting me take it and do the same to his arms.

 

Takeshi exhaled deeply and relaxed into me as I brought the cloth to his collar, following the rough rag with my other hand, smoothing and feeling him. He smiled and dropped his head back on my shoulder, exposing his neck to the water and soap, letting me to press my lips into his cheek.

 

We stayed like that until the water had lost its searing nature, and the soap had fallen into a lacklustre foam that spread thinly across the surface. We dried and dressed in loose, warm clothing before curling together on that little couch in the Yamamoto’s living room, his cheek laid upon the swell of my breast as he listened to the sound of my heart and the domestic movement in the kitchen.

 

The smile on his lips made me warm as I stroked along his side, tucking my hand under his shirt in a loving manner, thumbing his navel as he purred. Pressing a few kisses to his crown, I nuzzled into the crest of his skull, feeling him mould his lips lazily to the side of my neck. Takeshi smiled and curled into my shape more as I matched our breaths, following the beats of his heart until my own slowed to bounce off his in time.

 

I grunted as the morning singed my eyes from the window, making me stir and press my face into the deep breathing chest, causing Takeshi to groan at the disturbance. Nuzzling closer, I murmured a sleepy morning greeting, making the Rain huff in indignant denial, arms coming to wrap around me and keep me down in the bed.

 

“We have to get up,” I hummed, turning my nose into his firm bicep, inhaling his sleep’s scent. “Time to get up for school.”

 

“No,” he murmured, squeezing me tighter and curling. “No, I don’t want to.”

 

“Takeshi,” I sighed, gently taking myself out of his arms and sitting up, leaning on my hand. “You’ve missed two days of school already. Your friends are worried about you.”

 

The Rain dropped his gaze from me and clutched his blankets tighter, making me frown slightly, and bow to press a kiss to his temple.

 

“I’m gonna get changed and start breakfast. Try to get yourself up, yeah?”

 

Takeshi whined and turned his head to mould our lips together for gentle yet insistent kisses, trying to convince me to stay as he wrapped his fingers around my wrist. But I only sighed and pecked each fingertip as I carefully pried off his grasp and climbed free from the bed.

 

I quickly washed before shrugging on yesterday’s clothes, spraying myself with a generous amount of Takeshi’s deodorant to disguise any odour that may have clung to the material. A bit of a smile came to my lips when I realised I smelt like the young swordsman, before shaking off the giddy daze as Tsuyoshi strolled into view, frying pan slanted to tip grilled fish onto a plate.

 

“Good morning, Tsuyoshi-san,” I hummed, before falling short as he latched his gaze onto me, expectant. My teeth touched my lip before I caved to his glare and hunched. “Good morning, Tsuyoshi-tou-san.”

 

“Good morning, Daiki,” he huffed finally, and I nearly missed his smile as he walked back into the kitchen. “How’s Takeshi-kun doing?”

 

“He’s doing better than yesterday, I think. He’s moving around more and is more responsive. He still doesn’t want to get up, though.”

 

“Well, try to coax him out, yeah? His exams are coming soon and he can’t miss out on important stuff.”

 

I nodded slowly and cast my eyes to the clock, sighing as an hour and a half stood between us and a prompt arrival at Nami-chuu. Fixing my tie, I let myself drift back to the room, knocking twice as a warning before I let myself in, a noise of worry and affection coming from within me when I spotted Takeshi still curled in his bed.

 

“Oh, darling,” I murmured, reaching my hand under his sheets to drag him closer to the edge as I sat down, bringing him close against me. “Oh, my darling.”

 

“I can’t today. Not today,” he groaned, nuzzling into my thigh as his hand found mine. “I just...It’ll take a bit. For this to calm down. So, maybe tomorrow?”

 

“Shh, shh, come here,”

 

Takeshi whimpered something small as I gathered him to my chest, his arms coming to wrap around my neck as he hid himself away against me.

 

“Can you just try today? Even if it’s only for the attendance,” I pressed gently, kissing his shoulder as he inhaled his own deodorant. “If it’s too much, I’ll come get you and take you home. Even if it’s in the middle of class, just text me a blank message and I’ll come.”

 

The boy whined quietly, tightening his hold on my neck as his breath came out light. We stayed like that for a little while, just holding onto one another, before he sighed and slipped his arms off me, though he kept his head on my clavicle.

 

“Okay,” he uttered, small-voiced. “Okay, I’ll try, Daiki.”

 

“Takeshi,” I hummed, taking his face in my hand and angling it up, caressing his cheeks until he had to squint one eye out of reflex. “So brave, so strong. I love you, I do.”

 

“I love you too, Daiki,” Takeshi smiled, before dragging me down for another round of indulgent kissing.

 

“Come on,” I breathed, getting to my feet after at least a solid minute or so of lightly sucking on the Rain’s tongue. “Get changed and we can go and have breakfast.”

 

“If you carry me to the table,” he pouted, already pulling off his shirt with sluggish arms.

 

A smile spread as I pressed a kiss to his pectoral before taking his shirt from him and going to find his uniform. He dressed with some help from me, his hands running through my hair in a manner that made my eyes droop while I buttoned up his shirt and fixed his tie.

 

I crooned into his ear as I bent down and grasped him by the back of his thighs, coaxing him to sit on my pelvis and hips before I stood straight and lifted him from the bed. I listened to him hum into my ear as I carried him into the dining room and set him down at the table, rubbing his arms with my hands until he reluctantly let go of me, turning to his plate with a disinterested expression.

 

“I’m not hungry, though.”

 

“You may not feel it, but your body wants to eat. Just try, half at least, please?”

 

Takeshi glanced to me, before sighing and taking up his utensils, spooning a small mound of rice into his mouth. He hummed as I brushed his hair from his face and tucked it behind his ear, crooning affection at him as he leant against me, spoon hanging from his mouth as he chewed slowly.

 

I smiled and kissed the crest of his skull before turning to my own breakfast, eating it slowly, as to not pressure Takeshi more than I already was, murmuring about Lambo to him now and then, making the corners of his lips turn upwards. My heart hurt when he ground to a slow halt, lost in thought as he stared blankly down at his bowl.

 

“Shujin-kun?” I asked, touching his hand.

 

He blinked, logging back onto reality at the contact, and turned to me, eyes wide. The Rain thinned his lips after a moment, before shuffling his chair closer to mine and leaning against me, taking another spoon of rice to his pallet as I wrapped my arm around his waist.

 

The walk to school was quiet, though I tried to fill in the void with chatter, feeling him hold on to my arm and hug it to his chest the closer we got to Nami-chuu. Waves of guilt swamped me as he tried to hide how he shied away from his peers, not at all in the mood to stitch on his smile, but had to anyway because he was there now.

 

“Remember,” I murmured, leaning against the shoe lockers as he slowly toed his outside shoes off and swapped them for the inside ones. “Blank text if you need me, and I’ll take you home, no questions asked.”

 

“Okay,” he uttered, closing his locker.

 

I thinned my lips at the quiet voice, before sighing and stepping forwards, uncaring about the curious eyes that turned on us, and stooped to press a kiss to the top of his head, letting him curl into my front, nosing at my throat. Small noises of affection came from within me as I rubbed his back, thumbing at his nape to try to urge out the tension from his muscles.

 

“I’ll come to you at break and we can eat together. You don’t need to bring your friends, and I won’t bring Ryohei. Just you and me, okay?”

 

“Mhm.”

 

Class was spent with my knee bouncing and chewing irritably on my pacer, Ryohei giving me looks of concern but remained silent under the glare of the teacher. I stood as the bell rung and pulled out my lunch box, before turning to my brother Sun and smiling a little.

 

“Sorry bro, I’m gonna spend lunch with Takeshi. He’s...not the best right now.”

 

“Oh, okay. Call if you need help, yeah?” he nodded, making me do the same, before striding from the room and making my way down to 2-A.

 

The class was rioting as usual during the break, and it didn’t take me long to find where the majority of the students had coalesced, a grimace coming to my lips when I saw them crowding the Rain’s desk. I sighed and pushed the door open before making my way over, breaking the mass easily and seeing the pained gleam in Takeshi’s eye.

 

“Hey, Takeshi,” I greeted, hearing the group fall silent as the ‘ex-boyfriend’ initiated public contact. “Ready to go?”

 

“Yeah,” he uttered, nodding, before standing and stepping close to me, remaining so as we fled the classroom in a seemly manner.

 

I bit my lip as I sat myself down in a patch of warm sunshine and immediately found myself with a lapful of my love, my arms coming to wrap around him as I peppered kisses along the side of his head, crown to jaw splatterings of affection as he pressed against me with a soft noise that made my heart throb.

 

“Takeshi,” I breathed into his ear, making him turn to me before I tucked him under my jaw and squeezed firmly. “My beautiful Takeshi.”

 

“I’m tired,” the Rain murmured, wrapping his hand around my arm as he spoke, settling against me more.

 

“Are you not hungry?”

 

“Not really...Not now. Just sleep.”

 

“Okay,” I sighed, leaning back against the fence, holding him close as he relaxed. “Sleep, sleep. I’m here.”

 

A low croon came from him as he dozed in my arms, making a smile come to my lips as I carded his locks and kissed around his hairline, loving his softly. Deep inhales brought me his scent and I nosed into it, wanting to submerge myself in his warm smell, having missed Takeshi so dearly from my self-imposed exile.

 

“I love you,” I whispered into his scalp, kissing it twice. “I love you, my shujin-kun. Let me stay with you.”

 

The Rain murmured and rolled in my arms until his chest was pressed to mine, legs splayed out over my own as he cuddled into me again, lips curling upwards in the corners as he settled back down.

 

“I love you too,” he grumbled quietly, slow and sleepy, and my heart swelled almost beyond reason as I squeezed the poor boy in the tightest hug I could conjure against him. “Oof.”

 

“Sorry, sorry.”

**. . .**

 

Class rolled around, and I was reluctant to part with Takeshi again, kissing around his grumpy face as the bell shrieked through the school while he whined at the wake-up.

 

“No, don’t leave,” he groaned, burying his face into my chest in rebellion against the school.

 

“I have to, my darling,” I sighed, drawing his face back out and latching our lips together. “I don’t want to go either, but I have to. I wish I could just cuddle with you and not have to do anything but that.”

 

Takeshi murmured something as he hugged me again, and I wrapped my arms around him too, running my hand along his spine to soothe out the tension that had welled within it.

 

“It’s okay,” I hushed, kissing his cheek. “It’s okay. You can do it. It’s just another couple hours, then you’re free.”

 

“Blank text,” he muttered.

 

“Or the blank text, if you want to get out.”

 

The Rain looked at me from under his lashes, and I tried to smile at the dark circles underneath his eyes. He leant forward and took another kiss, like he was gathering up courage, before allowing me to help him stand, gathering our lunches as we made our way down to the classrooms.

 

“I’ll see you soon, okay?” I hummed, settling his hair as he stopped at my classroom.

 

“Okay. I love you.”

 

“I love you too.”

 

He scampered off, and I sat down just as the teacher walked in, Ryohei casting the Rain a worried look, which I gently approved of, feeling him touch my shoulder. Class dragged on, notes were taken and rapid pleads for the teacher not to change the slide were yelped. Then my phone buzzed, and I looked at it from under the table.

 

_From: Favourite Stalker_

 

I tapped my brother’s hand before bolting from my desk, not caring how the teacher called after me angrily as I was already halfway down the hall. The sign for 2-A came into focus as I lept from the stairs and burst into the second year’s level, feet catching the ground in an effort to stop as I came to the door and yanked it open.

 

Breathing heavily, I disregarded the Nezu’s whining to find Takeshi, heart lurching when I saw his shoulders shaking, head down in his arms. I made my way over quickly, cutting through the desks until I came to kneel beside my Takeshi, listening closely as his breath whistle from a clogged nose.

 

“Takeshi,” I whispered, “Let’s go. Let’s go now,”

 

The Rain peaked up from his arms and I felt my heart sear when reddened eyes landed upon me, my lips parted, but I had no time to speak before I found myself with armsful of the young Yamamoto, the boy already latching onto me to hide in my shoulder.

 

“Okay, it’s okay,” I hushed, standing up and settling him to sit on my pelvis, legs wrapped tightly around my hips to hold himself up while I cupped my hands around his thighs. “Let’s go home, love.”

 

Takeshi panted into my shoulder as I left the baffled classroom, pulling strength into my limbs to make the journey swift for my lover. He refused to lift himself from his sanctuary even when people sent us looks of judgment, either for being students out of school or because of his positioning, but I paid them no mind, pressing a kiss to his crown now and then.

 

“Almost home, shujin-kun,” I breathed, seeing the TakeSushi store appear from around the corner.

 

He shifted in my arms, cuddling me more until I felt a shiver-inducing brush of lips scant across my ear, a flush blooming on my cheeks and making me squeeze him tighter.

 

I rapped on the door with my foot, silently apologising for the rather rude knock, before one of the kitchen hands came and slid it open, blinking in surprise when he saw who it was.

 

“Eh? Yamaguchi-kun? Is something wrong with Boss’ kid?” he asked, getting out of the way as I stepped in.

 

“He’s not feeling well, so I brought him home,” I answered, watching his face slowly morph into understanding.

 

“Kay, I’ll tell the Boss you’re here,” he grunted, before looking to the heavy breathing boy. “Get better soon, kid.”

 

Takeshi nodded into my shoulder, and I smiled in thanks, before I quickly carried him to his room, our shoes clumsily discarded at the inner door. I tried to lay the Rain down in his bed when we had arrived, trying to free my hands so I could go about settling him down, but he had refused to release his full body hold on me, squeezing tighter when I made to unhook his legs.

 

“Darling,” I sighed, wrapping my arms around him as we sat in the bed, swaying slowly to calm him down. “My darling husband, the one I love so dearly.”

 

I felt him shake before a sniffle reached my ears.

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay, my love. You can cry. I’m here,” I turned and smiled softly when I saw watery mocha peering up at me. “I’ll protect you from all that will hurt you. So it’s okay, come loose. I’ll hold you.”

 

Tears bubbled up in the corners of his eyes as he continued to gaze at me, before they spilt over and a whine slipped from his throat, making my heart crumble in on itself as I watched him cry, refusing to look away as he sobbed against my chest. I smiled down at him as he continued to observe me through his blurry vision, bringing the blankets close and wrapping us up in it, hiding us away in the warmth as he coughed from a clogged throat and whimpered, his hand bundling the back of my shirt.

 

I cooed sweetly down at him and wiped away the tears with my thumbs, all the while never losing eye contact just as I had promised.

 

We stayed like that for maybe an hour; the emotions welling up in intervals between quick kisses and tissue breaks. His nose and eyes were red from it in the end, as he breathed through his lips against my chest, the bin by his bed stuffed with soggy tissues.

 

“I’m sorry,” I sighed finally, burying my nose in his hair. “I shouldn’t have pushed you.”

 

Takeshi was quiet for a few moments, before he turned his head and pressed his face to my chest, showing that he didn’t want to speak anymore. He made a noise when I tried to move away, however, and it reassured me he wasn’t upset from my behaviour.

 

“Come, love, let’s settle down for a rest.”

 

I kissed the shell of the Rain’s ear softly as he nodded before reaching around and worked off his belt and tie, doing the same to myself and smiled with a laugh as the youth shoved his face into my exposed collar greedily.

 

“You’re going to cuddle me a lot, aren’t you?” I huffed, pulling the sheets down from their tucked in state, the smell of detergent and fabric softener wafting up, showing that Tsuyoshi had come in after we had left.

 

I toed off my socks before working the both of us under the sheets and hummed as Takeshi squirmed his way to my chest, ear pressed firmly to my breast to hear my heart and breath whilst I combed his hair. I felt myself relaxing with the repetitive motions and only liquified further as my darling fell into an untroubled sleep, his expression soothed if not still tear-tacky.

 

“I won’t make you go to school tomorrow if you’re not feeling up to it,” I assured, brushing his hair out of his face. “...But I’m going to have to talk to your Yomi-san.”

 

I felt him twitch, and I kissed his crown before silencing both our phones and settling down to sleep in his company again.


	3. Supernatural AU! (Part 1)

**|Supernatural AU!|**

**Part 1**

* * *

**Summary: The Vongola gives Takeshi a project to carry out in USA Pennsylvania, so he takes Daiki, Lambo and Mephistopheles with him to live together, uninterrupted, for a year. All is well for a blissful five months, and just as the family is getting ready to celebrate Lambo's twelfth birthday - young men begin turning up dead. Normally, this would be fine, but when Hunters begin rolling into town to investigate, Mafia, Yakuza and Flames aren't the only things the Sun and Rain are going to have to hide. Daiki best be prepared to tuck away her wings for a while.**

* * *

**Word Count: 3,194**

* * *

"Hey, hey," came the soft whisper, fondness lacing the tone. "Time to get up, beloved."

Takeshi groaned and burrowed more into his sheets, grabbing for the warmth that evaded him along with a disturbing movement. Daiki laughed quietly at her husband's behaviour, gently petting his hair as he made sluggish movements towards her.

"You have to get up, my darling," she urged, "Bo-kun has to get to school."

"Nngh!" he whined, rolling onto his back and tried to drag Daiki back down onto the bed. "No."

Daiki snorted, before scooping Takeshi up out of their sheets and into a bridal hold, exposing his poor naked self to the cold of the spring morning. He gave a shout and shivered, smacking his wife's shoulder as he glared with new awakeness, huffing when she bent her neck to plant a kiss on his lips.

"Good morning, darling."

"There is nothing 'good' about morning," he scoffed, hiding in her shoulder, the colours of her irezumi blooming out from under her shirt.

"Mm, I'd beg to differ. Waking up to you every morning makes them wonderful each time."

Takeshi rolled his eyes, but couldn't deny the smile, laughing when their brows came to be pressed together.

"Though, I do wish you would stop hogging the blankets. Greedy lil' raindrop," the Sun grinned, huffing a laugh when the smaller bat at her in offence.

"Oh, shove off, I do not," he denied, crossing his arms. "Put me down and I'll get some pants on."

"Eh? But what if I wanna keep you like this, shujin-kun?"

"I'd rather not scar our son,  _shujin-chan," Takeshi_ huffed, raising an eyebrow as his wife sighed forlornly and lowered him back to the floor, where his feet stung from the floorboards.

"Very well, my love, you make a good argument," she accepted, coming to stand behind the Rain as he tugged on a pair of discarded pyjama pants.

Daiki hummed to herself as her other tied the string at the front, her hand coming up to touch at the red lines that streaked down a strong back, raw and crumbs of dried blood flaking off. She thinned her lips when Takeshi winced, a sheepish laugh escaping him as he glanced over his shoulder.

"It's fine, Daiki, you just got carried away," he assured gently.

"I hurt you," she breathed, looking down in guilt. "I should have been more careful."

"You're still getting your head around how much strength to use," the Rain smiled, stepping forwards to wrap his arms around her waist. "Humans are fragile, but we're sturdy too, my love. Something like this won't do more than irritate."

A hand came off her waist and cupped her cheek in affection, guiding the Sun's face down until they were close, where he could see the gold creeping in from the corners of her sclera, remnants of her nocturnal nature.

"And I'll remember how I got them whenever my shirt rubs over them. May be a bit of a problem, I have a meeting today."

A red hue came to the woman's face as she smiled sheepishly, cooing a high clicking noise that normal throats could not achieve as warm lips were pressed to hers.

"Let's go have breakfast then," Daiki sighed, spreading warmth through her husband's body, the faint itching of skin sewing together coming after.

"Yay, food."

**. . .**

"Mama," Lambo demanded, coming to stand beside his mother, making her pause her medication.

"Morning, Bo-kun," Daiki greeted, popping the contraceptive pill swiftly, before bending to receive her son, setting the eleven-year-old lad on her hip. "How did you sleep?"

"I don't wanna go to school today, I'm sick!" he exclaimed, making a show of coughing. "See? Sick!"

"Mm," the Sun smiled, already knowing her son's tricks. "I think it's just a morning cold. You'll be fine by the time you've eaten."

"But I don't wannaaaaa!"

"Shush," Takeshi reprimanded, coming up from behind them. "It's too early to make that loud of a noise."

Lambo pouted before trudging over to his seat, begrudgingly chewing at his breakfast as his mother came to press a kiss to the crest of his skull. Daiki smiled at his attitude, before wrinkling her nose at the smell of black coffee as Takeshi sipped at his drink, handing his spouse a cup of hot chocolate as a peace offering.

Mephistopheles bolted from under the table as chairs were pulled out, making Takeshi laugh and watch as the aging mutt bounded up to them expectantly, glancing between their plates. The family snorted, before Lambo tossed the mutt a chunk of sausage, making his mother tsk and flick his ear in reprimand.

"What's your meeting about?" she asked, everyone coming to sit at the table.

"Just a bunch of normal business, Tsuna can't make a meeting, so I have to go in his place. There aren't many trustworthy Vongola officers in America," Takeshi answered easily, taking the rolled up paper from his wife and spreading it for a read.

"Well, you won't be alone for long, the others are coming around to crowd the place for Bo-kun's birthda- Oh, honey!" she sputtered as the Lightning knocked his cup, their mutt immediately sitting beneath it with open jaws.

"Uh-oh."

"Hm?" Daiki uttered, looking up from her caring of Lambo's spilt cup. "What's wrong?"

"Someone's been found dead again, closer this time," he explained, showing his love the headline. "They're blaming coyotes. Though, they're a bit too inner suburbia for those, I think."

"Yeah," she agreed, brow furrowing as she read the details. "That's pretty odd."

When she looked up, she frowned more, finding Takeshi looking quite pointedly at her, making the Sun pull back in caution.

"You don't think this is my doing, do you?" she huffed, making the man jump and reach for her hand.

"No! Nothing like that," he assured, kissing her knuckles. "I'm worried about people  _blaming_  you though. These could bring...what are they called again?"

Lambo glance between his parents, Chinese sausage pinched between his lips, Mephisto nudging his foot.

"Hunters," Daiki breathed, slipping her hand from her other's lips to cup his cheek. "Hunters; they are not going to come just because of a couple murders, my love, and even if they do, I doubt they'd zero in on me of all people. They'd sooner find our connections to the Mafia, than my creature-hood."

"Yeah, it's just...I'm always going to worry about you, shujin-chan," he sighed, shuffling his chair closer until he could lean against her larger form.

"And I thank you for caring so much," she hummed, kissing the top of his head.

"So...Mama's going to be okay?" Lambo asked, making the two blink.

Daiki smile and nodded, reassuring her son softly.

"Yeah, Mama's gonna be fine."

* * *

"Five bodies, all men, all found dead within the borders of the same town, all found with the same injuries and cause of death," Sam summarised, looking down at the compiled articles. "Police are saying coyotes."

"In a suburb?" Dean asked, snorting in disbelief.

"Yeah, everyone's sceptical, but that's the best they've got," the younger, yet taller, shrugged, flipping to another article. "Each body is mutilated, bludgeoned and chewed up. Broken bones, blood loss, the norm."

"Sounds about right. Do we have an idea for what we're hunting?"

"Nothing clear, could be a skinwalker, maybe a wendigo," Sam offered, shrugging.

"Well, we're looking for a meat eater," Dean uttered, bringing his beloved to a smooth stop at a red light. "Something that needs to eat - and eat a lot. What was it, five in two weeks?"

"A week and a bit, so basically."

The elder Winchester scoffed a sigh and pressed down on the accelerator, gliding forth into their newest town.

"Guys gotta have a big gut then. Easy target."

* * *

"Come on Bo-kun, time for school," Daiki called, hearing the little Lightning stuffing his bag with last minute knick knacks. "No grenades!"

" _Aw, c'mon!"_

"We don't need a repeat from Cincinnati!" Takeshi joined, rinsing his cup in the sink before coming over to kiss his wife on the cheek. "I wish I didn't have to leave you at home."

"What? You'd wanna take me to work with you?" the Sun laughed, curling her arms around his waist before leaning back on the counter. "Yakuza paperwork can be handled from home, so that means I get to stay here."

The Rain huffed and leant against her, humming when she rubbed his back through the material of his suit.

"Besides, I'll be waiting here when you get home. Won't that be fun?" Daiki crooned, smiling against his ear, feeling him shudder happily. "Go on, Bo-kun's gotta go too."

"Fine!" he whined, taking another kiss from the taller woman, before calling after their son. "I'm leaving!"

"Coming! Coming!" the young Mafia yelped, stumbling out of his room, one sock black and the other white.

"Have a good day, my darling," Daiki hummed, bending to kiss his forehead, following the two to the door and leaning against the frame as they stuffed their feet into their shoes.

Mephisto bounded over and sat at the feet of the Sun, looking between them all as Daiki bent to scritch at his nape, making him pant in glee.

"You both have everything? Lunches, papers?"

"Yes, Mama," Lambo nodded, leg raised so that his father could tie his shoelaces for him.

"What about you, shujin-kun?"

"Yes, Mama," Takeshi laughed, getting up out of his squat and pecking his wife on the lips, feeling her huff against them from his jab.

"Good boy," she cooed, "Very good boy."

The Rain grinned and flushed, before he was pushed out the door by his whining son, making the two spouses laugh as they waved.

"Have a good day, boys!" the Sun called, moving her foot to block Mephisto as he attempted to follow the Lightning son.

"We will!" Lambo shouted, jumping up into the family's white SUV.

Daiki waved as they pulled out of the driveway and drove off to the nearby Elementary school, closing the door behind her once they were out of sight. The mother stretched before groaning, already sensing the impending hand cramps from all the paperwork and red tape that was sitting on her desk in the study.

"Ugh, why can't those men keep their collateral damage to a minimum?" she sighed, snapping her knuckles above her head while elongating her long spine, feeling a restless shifting beneath her skin. "They're gonna get a lashing when this project is over."

They were in America's states for a period of a year for some sort of Vongola project, Takeshi being the chosen representative and thus deciding to take Daiki and Lambo with him for the time. It allowed the family of three to bond in close quarters, and the fact of the woman's Oyabun status allows for flexible working spaces. No one was going to question or object to her leaving for a year, not if she continued to complete her duties, Honda and Jun working as her proxies during the absence.

Lambo's schooling had been an issue at first, with a year being a period that was both long and short. The idea of homeschooling had been tossed around, even perhaps leaving him in Japan, but a small local school had been the result, allowing the little Italian boy a chance to taste the American school life. He had taken to it well, quite enjoying the role as the 'enigmatic, mysterious new kid' that had been thrust upon him, one eye hidden at all times, and all.

Daiki rolled her eyes at the memory of the girls whispering and giggling when Takeshi had gone to pick their son up, the mother sitting in the car behind the wheel with the engine running. They had gotten a good laugh out of it afterwards.

She sighed and flopped down in her chair, Mephisto curling up beside her feet, the soft leather cushioning her back as she gazed with reluctance at the folders sitting on the table, and 32 unread emails sitting in her inbox, each no doubt 1000 words or more, with at least several PDF attachments. With a foreboding groan, she sat up and fumbled for her glasses, opening the first email with a resigned grumble.

* * *

"Accept it, we're lost, Dean," Sam whined, slumped in his seat.

"We can't be lost, it's a pin prick of a town," the elder defended, turning down the music to help him focus better on the road signs.

"Apparently we are, because we've been here before."

"Shut it, Sammy. If you wanna be a smartass, start helping. We're looking for an inn or something."

Sam sighed and ducked his head to see out the windows, the street barren of people but full of near uniform houses. It wasn't surprising to see such an absence, it wasn't dead quiet, but the kind that came with a midday lull of people in offices or schools, locked away for another few hours until the streets were flooded again. Then the boom of a bin made him turn, and he urged his brother to slow.

"Hey, we can ask them."

"Okay," Dean grunted, pulling to the side of the road just as their target dragged their bins off the curb. "Excuse me!"

The two men blinked, not quite able to identify a female or male sex from the person who turned, a smile coming as they clapped their hands of dirt and dust.

"Hello, is there something I can help you with?" they asked, no discernable gender in their voice either.

"Ah, we were wondering if you knew about a cheap motel or inn nearby? We're just planning to stay the night or so, so nothing too upmarket," Sam explained, noticing Dean was more than a bit distracted.

"A cheap place, hey...Ah, Rodeway Inn's just a while further. Corner of George and West Gas," they answered after a while, tossing a hand in the general direction. "That should do you two."

"Ah, thanks," Dean nodded, smiling a bit too much. "So, ah, see you around?"

Sam looked at his brother in humoured disbelief, wondering if he was tongue tied or if he was just that bad.

"Hope so," they answered, glancing to the younger for confirmation, as if they also didn't believe the insinuations of the elder Winchester son. "Have a good stay, boys."

"Thank you- um..."

"Daiki. Daiki Yamaguchi."

"Cameron and Henry Stottle, thanks again."

"No problem."

With another smile, the person turned and walked back into their house, a dog barking up at them from inside. Their stride was strong, and Sam was sure he wasn't the only one who noticed. He snorted and elbowed his brother in the side, making him jump and accidentally jab the horn.

"Damn it, Sammy!"

* * *

Daiki grit her teeth as she pressed back into the door, Mephisto growling at the outside, her heart slowly coming down from the sights of the two hunters.

"Fuck," she hissed. "Fuck, fuck,  _fuck._ "

The Sun moved from the entry and into the study, snapping up her phone and dropping into the chair with a restless shuffle. Mephistopheles followed close behind the woman, a low growl rumbling in his chest even as he lept up into her lap, chin on her shoulder. Daiki dialled in her husband's number, knowing better than to keep this sort of thing from him.

" _Hello my lo-"_

"Takeshi, there are hunters," she interrupted, sitting up as she heard him do on the other end. "I just saw two."

" _I'm coming now, are you okay? Did they find you?"_ he asked, worry and tension obvious in his voice.

"No, I'm fine, they're not here for me," Daiki breathed, steadying her tone. "Did you finish your meeting?"

" _Yeah, an hour ago. I'll be there soon, hang tight."_

"I will, I love you."

" _I love you too,"_ he swore, before hanging up, leaving the Sun to slump back into her chair and sigh with stress.

Sometimes, she hated being a Camazotz.

Mephisto whined and made her pause, before she smiled and began to gently pet his back, scratching his nape and behind his ear as he panted between rumbles of hostility and protectiveness, his old age in no way dampening his viciousness against enemies. She hummed and pressed her nose against the side of his neck, blowing warm air into the mutt's fur until he began to settle, lapping at her cheek once to comfort her.

Daiki smiled and kissed her friend's nose, before leaning back and urging him to lay across her stomach and lap, chin on her abdomen.

The  _Winchesters?!_  God damn, she had thought she had gone loopy when she had heard that name, the warnings the others had given her about going to the US, which was practically a hunter's 'paradise'. It was bad enough that she had one storyline, let alone a different, converging one that was grittier and more 'end of the world'.

"Ugh, the  _Winchesters_? Couldn't I have had like the Ghostfacers, or something?" she groaned, already hating her chances.

**. . .**

Daiki grunted when Takeshi grabbed her up in a constricting hug, crushing her larger form to him as he smothered his face into her shoulder, breathing deep as the door clicked shut behind him.

"I'm fine, love. They didn't notice."

"Are you sure?" he pressed, pulling back to gaze up at her with worry, arms tight around her waist. "There's only two, I can get rid of them-"

"No, you can't, my darling," she hushed, combing his hair with her fingers, drawing them from the door and deeper into their home. "You can't do anything to these two, they're strong, and important."

"You know them?" Takeshi breathed, sitting down on the couch beside his wife, leaning against her to feel her living warmth and the motion of her breath.

"They're the Winchester brothers, so yes, I know them," Daiki nodded, taking her husband's hand in her own. "They're very good at what they do, so we're going to have to be careful, but other than that, we'll be fine. They're sympathetic, hunting tendencies aside."

"Daiki," Takeshi uttered helplessly, before coming forward and pushing her down to lay, curling himself into her side and dropping his head on her shoulder. "Be safe. Please be safe."

"I am, darling, I am," she hushed, wrapping her arms around him, feeling how every muscle was taut and ready for action. Ready to defend. "We just need to keep behaving normally, and they won't be able to spot us in the crowd."

Takeshi cuddled in closer, like he could hide his beloved from the hunter's sight with his own body.

"Okay. I don't have any more office work for the rest of the week. We'll be home together."

The Sun smiled and kissed the top of his head.

"I guess we'll be spending a lot of time in bed then, hey?"

The Rain tried to crack a smile, but it was weak, and thinned out with a quietly bubbling rage, his Flame stirring with the threat.

"Lots of time in bed," he assured, a low growl coming to his tone.

* * *

**Camazotz: In ancient Maya beliefs, Camazotz (Camoazotz) was a vampire bat god. Camazotz means "death bat" in the Quiché Maya language. Associated with night, death, and sacrifice, Camazotz was often depicted holding his victim and a knife. (Source: AncientPages)**


	4. Porn (SFW)

**_“_ ** **_I would love to see an AU where Tsuna tried to get with Daiki, I’m rereading Baker’s Daughter and his little puppy crush is too cute!_ ** **_”_ **

**You,** **Guest** **, from Fanfiction.net, have been noticed! I am working on the Tsuna/Daiki Route at the moment (my essay looms in distaste)! It shall be revealed soon!** **  
** **. . .**

**To those who are inspired to send me prompts:** **  
** **I would love it if you could specify if you wanted Male!Daiki Fem!Daiki or Non-Binary!Daiki in your scene! This is both easier for me to decide what they are when I write them, as well as where/when they are for the scene! Please and thank you!**

**. . .**

**Another Announcement** **:**

**I WILL BE WRITING SMUT/LEMON SCENES!** ****  
**Yes, they may be cringy cause I’m a lonely chap, but I’m learning!** ****  
**...The things I have read in order to understand some things T^T** **  
** **So if you have any ideas for them (there will be a warning beginning of chap) PM me or review it! :)**

* * *

 

 

**|Porn|**

**(It’s safe, I swear)**

 

Some Context: Just some stuff I wrote years ago for shits and giggles that never saw the light of day. And now it has, enjoy.

Time Frame: Daily Life Arc  


Characters: Daiki, Takeshi, Tsuyoshi

* * *

 

**Word Count: 1,010**

* * *

 

“So, Takeshi-kun," Tsuyoshi started, pausing his morning tea brew, a solemn expression marring his face as he read through pointless articles of news.

The tone made me pause chewing on my breakfast, a tension coming to my back as the healthy fear I had cultivated for the father settled in my body, fully prepared to sprint or cower.

“Yup?” Takeshi chirped, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere.

The old swordsman took another sip of steaming tea, letting the silence hang, before he looked up from the paper and gazed at his son.

“I found your porn.”

I choked on my noodles as the words were dropped flatly.

My husband’s face bloomed a mighty red as he spluttered, trying to defend himself over the sound of my wheezed laughter, my body relaxing into humour as the father’s ire was angled away from me.

“You went through my room?!”

“Well,  _someone_  has to pick up your laundry," Tsuyoshi shrugged, sipping away.

“But still! It’s hidden for a reason!”

“If you didn’t chuck your socks under your bed I never would have found it.”

My attempts at smothering my laughter seemed to irk the Rain, for he began to bat at my arm that covered my snorts as my shoulders shook.

“Daiki-kun!" he scolded, pushing me as he huffed.

I made attempts to console my younger love, but only managed to wheeze out unrealistic apologies as I leant back in my chair and giggled hysterically.

“Really, Takeshi-kun," the father hummed, placing down his mug. “The amount of you had, _phew_ , I was wondering what you were using your allowance on.”

“Tou-san!" he screamed, covering his face as I boomed laughter to the ceiling. “Why did you have to talk about this with Daiki-kun here!?”

“Well, I thought that I might mention that a lot of the characters had a resemblance to him," Tsuyoshi shrugged. “And the... _edits_ you’ve made to some.”

_“Tou-san!”_

“Really?” I perked, leaning forwards putting my chin in my hand. “Tell me more.”

“Shujin-kun!”

“What edits did he make?”

“Well, he changed the names for one," Tsuyoshi hummed, obviously thinking back to the stock he had found. 

“Stooooop!” Takeshi cried, smothering his face into his hands, ears ablaze.

I smiled softly at the boy and decided to take mercy on my darling, dragging his chair closer before wrapping my arm around him and cuddling the traumatised boy, kissing the top of his head. He whined and latched onto me, hiding his face in my shoulder as he all but crawled onto my chair and lap.

My arms were in position to fully wrap around him before a shiver of dread scrambled up my spine. Eyes glared at me from over the brim of a steaming cup, the Yamamoto father watching me with critical, cruel eyes, just _daring_ me to touch his son any more.

A hesitant laugh fell from my lips as I let my hands hover in the air awkwardly while Takeshi straddled my lap in front of the man, whining and nuzzling my collar.

“Daiki-kun," he called, peering up at me, disregarding my fear.  “I love you, and well, uh, I guess I get kinda impatient and, well, self-indulgent.”

“No. No, it’s fine, I get it," I uttered, glancing between the father and son. “I get it.”

“And you love me too?" he asked, pressing against my chest a bit in enthusiasm.

Tsuyoshi watched me over his tea.

“Of course.”

Takeshi gained a pink hue before grinning, making me relax despite myself and lean against him just the tiniest bit.

“Kiss?”

Fuck.

Tsuyoshi coughed into his drink and placed it down, watching me pointedly, looking between his offspring and I with an obvious expression on his face.

“U-uh.”

The Rain’s face dropped, and his eyes lost their shine for a moment, making my heart lurch, an arm coming down to wrap around his waist and hold him against me. There was another cough, and I shrunk a little but didn’t lose my grasp on my rainy love.

“Kiss, please?" he repeated, cupping my face as he gained a hopeful expression.

I looked back to the old swordsman and withheld a shriek as I saw him casually sharpening his knife set, each blade laid out in a systematic order across the table, wet stone _‘shinking’_ with every slide. A barely audible whimper of terror escaped me as the Yamamoto son began kissing at my jugular, jaw and cheek.

He reached out and grabbed my hands, drawing them down to settle high on his thighs, a happy and requesting sigh leaking from him as he settled further into my lap.

_Shink._

I was going to die.

_Shink._

Internal weeping.

Catching Takeshi’s eye, I huffed when I saw them twinkling with dark mirth and sadistic humour, the boy having known what he was doing all along. Of course he did, he was his father’s son. My lip twitched, and I surged forwards to seal our lips together, rolling my tongue into his mouth and dragging a noise from him, the younger happily indulging himself - before withdrawing and spinning him off my lap.

I jumped to my feet and pressed another kiss to my beloved before waving at the armed father, a laugh of excitement and nervousness escaping me as I grabbed my jacket from the back of my chair.

“Bye, Tsuyoshi-tou-san! See you on Monday, Takeshi-kun!”

_“Yamaguchi Daiki!”_

Stabbing my feet into my shoes, I leapt out the door and ran in a death sprint, laughter on my tongue, before another call made me turn.

Takeshi waved at me from the door with a cheery expression, taking up the doorway with his tall frame and blocking his father from chasing me out, the man flailing and shouting from behind his son. I snorted and waved back, before giving a yelp and ducking as a knife was sent flying at me, sticking into the wood of the power pole behind me with intense force.

“Bye-bye, Daiki-kun! I love you!”

 

“Love you too, shujin-kun!” I shouted back, before spinning on my heel and sprinting.


	5. Dreamer

**|Dreamer AU!|**

* * *

 

Arasi yawned as he sat on the edge of his bed in the Rain Dorms, still a bit startled by how he sank under his own weight in the European style of bed. The room was cold with snow beating against the windows, but Asari was just too tired to bother refilling the furnace, hoping he’d fall into the numb abyss of sleep before the last flames died out.

 

His feet hurt from having to stand around all day and talk to people who raised a brow at the slant of his eyes or the lilt of his accent and felt like he could, maybe, handle being called  _ ‘exotic’  _ three more times before he shoved his flute down someone’s throat. The young man paused when he recognised his thinning patience and let out a long sigh, rubbing his nape. He got to his feet again with a groan and began dressing down for the night, intent on getting a good, long sleep before the grind began again tomorrow.

 

Asari wrapped himself in an extra layer for warmth, just in case, before he paused by his side table and let his fingers play at the finger holes of his flute. The instrument sat on a stand by his bedside, and though he had been parted with it for a few, long years, his new friends had tracked down the dealer he had traded it to and had returned it to him. He played it every chance he got now, and the notes sounded even sweeter with the efforts and emotions of his ‘Family’ interwoven with every breath.

 

He hummed and picked it up before setting himself back on his bed, getting comfortable. He brought it up and played aimlessly for a while, watching the fire burn low and feeling his body unwind.

 

Another yawn slipped out and interrupted Asari mid-song, he grumbled and laid down before pulling the blankets up onto his shoulder. He curled up under the blankets and shifted around until he was comfortable, his flute still clutched securely in his hand as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

 

Asari was warm. So warm and being held so gently. The crackle of a fire, the turn of a page, the long, unrushed swell of breath within a chest. It was all so soft and comforting, calming and tender. But he couldn’t move.

 

Asari wanted to roll over and move his arm, feeling the limb begin to go numb from the awkward positioning. There was just a part of him that kept saying,  _ “no, I want to stay like this, stay with her” _ .

 

Then he felt a hand run along his back, a large palm tracing his spine in an up and down motion that made his body liquify and a happy trill trickle from his lips. Asari had never made that sound before, hell, he didn’t know he  _ could _ .

 

His body stirred then, without his doing, and he tilted his head to nuzzle into the warm side of whoever was holding him. The hand that was on his back lifted off as Asari moved around, getting comfortable again, before returning to massage his nape as he settled down.

 

He wanted to panic, he really did, but it was almost as if his own consciousness was secondary to the overwhelming... _ bliss _ that was present. It clouded every one of his thoughts until he was malleable and contented to listen to the crisp, raspy turn of pages and steady breaths. It made him enjoy the way his arm, which had been draped across the other person, rose and fell with their breath and felt the gentle ‘thump’ of their heartbeat.

 

Asari wanted to stay like this. Forever, if he could. Away from the prying eyes and the evaluating glares, away from the paperwork which took him twice as long as his friends. Stay in this place, where he was cuddled up against another’s side and allowed to rest for as long and as deeply as he wanted, feeling so very at ease.

 

His body yawned so intensely it turned into a squeak toward the end and he heard deep laughter from above his head, the confusion and alert that should have come already washed away by the affection with swamped him at the sound. He mumbled incoherently and lifted his head, eyes opening to finally allow Asari to see.

 

He was in the Rain dorms. He could tell by little stained glass detail in the far window’s corners and the one-of-a-kind paintings which hung on the walls. The paintings looked more worn and aged, however, and the items around the room that the Rain himself had collected through the years were gone. His knick-knacks and keepsakes were replaced with unfamiliar objects and framed pictures.

 

Asari wanted to investigate further, but his body moved again of its own accord and he found himself tilting his head back. Asari wasn’t ready for the influx of absolute  _ love  _ that washed over him when he saw the person who he was laying against, his chest squeezed as a welling of emotion pressed against the inside of his heart. It only intensified with warm coloured,  _ “amber-earth” _ ,  eyes crinkled in the corners as the person, “ _ my love _ ”, smiled down at him softly.

 

“Hey, honey,” they cooed and Asari felt his heart swell as he heard the words  _ ‘my darling’ _ echo as if telling him just who this person should be to him. “Did I wake you up?”

 

It took him a moment before Asari wanted to widen his eyes in surprise as it registered that this person, “ _ my love _ ”, was speaking Japanese. And though it sounded odd to him, like they were talking the way of another province, it was more comforting than the notes of Italian.

 

“Sorry,” they hummed, squeezing him with their arm before putting aside the heavy book in their hand, placing it down on their side table. “Come on. Let’s sleep, hm?”

 

The person with warm eyes made the small light by their bed turn off with a snap before they rolled over to face him, sliding down from the headboard until they were level and Asari purred happily as they gathered him up in their arms and pulled him against their chest. It was then he felt the outline of the person’s,  _ “my love’s” _ , body and he flushed at the realisation he was laying in the arms of a woman.

 

Though it was dark, Asari could still see how she stared at him with affection, her hand coming up and cupping his cheek, which his body was all too happy to lean into.

 

Asari’s lips twitched in the corners for a moment, his body still very much under the veil of sleep, before he squirmed forward and pressed a kiss onto  _ “my wife” _ . It was slow and soft, and she was all too happy to reciprocate it as she tilted her head to let a better angle. Asari felt his skin tingle pleasantly and a gentle heat came to his cheeks ask the woman dropped light pecks onto the apples of his cheeks, heart lighter than air and swelling as his body cuddled closer.

 

“Go back to sleep, honey,” she hushed, wrapping her arms around him and holding him tight. “Go back to sleep. You’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, you don’t want to be tired.”

 

Asari whined against her chest, and he heard himself say, “But I don’t want to!” 

 

It was startling, to say the least, to actually hear himself say that. He was so used to smiling and going along with the chaos, that hearing his own voice say ‘I don’t want to’ was...

 

“I know, sweetheart,”  _ “my wife” _ cooed, cradling the back of his head against her chest. “I know it’s tedious and the people are _ so annoying, _ ” Asari felt the urge to laugh at the same time his body did and he found himself agreeing to giggle against her throat. “But you gotta. And I’ll be right next to you if you need help.”

 

Asari pouted before finally looking up and was rewarded with a quick kiss on the lips, too fast for him to respond to but enough to daze him.

 

_ “My love” _ smiled down at him before tucking his cheek back against her chest and holding tight, humming slowly into his ear as she unwound around him, the tension in her muscles seeping out.  

 

“I love you,” she murmured into his crown. “I love you, so much.”

 

Asari squeezed his eyes shut tight and held onto the woman even when it was obvious she had long drifted off, sleeping soundly in his arms. He yawned and felt himself kiss at her collarbone once, twice, before he nuzzled into place and fell into sleep, warm and contented.

* * *

When Asari woke up, he found his face tucked into his pillows and his blankets bundled around him, feeling the most rested he had in years. He stared at the fuzzy outline of his pillow quietly, slowly dragging himself out of the realm of sleep.

 

Then the memory returned, and he sat up quickly, glancing around the Rain dorm, trying to find those strange pictures or the woman’s book on his nightstand. Instead, all he found was his flute, sitting awkwardly in the stand. He felt his lips twitch a bit, either up or down, he wasn’t sure, and he fixed it up before slumping back into his bed.

 

It was so vivid and  _ real _ , being in that woman’s arms, laying against her side. He was hesitant to even call it a dream. The way her warmth seeped deep into his skin, the press of her lips against his and the unconditional love she looked at him with...Asari didn’t think he could just dream that up. But here he sat, in an empty bed, thinking of a ghost. 

 

The swordsman pursed his lips for a moment before looking to the clock, seeing that he’d have to get up and begin working soon. There would be a new stack of filing sitting on his desk by now, no doubt. Little Italian written in their fancy cursive styles that only made it harder to read.

 

“...I don’t want to,” he uttered to himself and remembered the feeling of the woman’s fingers in his hair and against his cheek. 

 

_ ‘But you gotta. And I’ll be right next to you if you need help.’ _

 

Asari blinked as the words resurfaced and the desire to pout came after, just to see if he’d still get a kiss like before. He gave a small laugh and shook his head at himself, for losing his thoughts to a fantasy, before he climbed out of his bed.

 

The Rain paused in front of a mirror and stepped closer to it, critiquing his face and attractiveness, wondering if he could ever really find someone like that. He tilted his head and placed his hand on his cheek where her’s once was, before he smiled and whispered, “Right next to me...”

 

He perked up at the words and spun on his heel, feeling better.

 

**. . .**

 

The Vongola Guardian were gathered around the breakfast table in their companionable silence, none of them really in the mood to talk beyond a gentle chatter between Giotto and G. 

 

Asari ate his breakfast slowly, his thoughts plagued by the memory of that woman and how she had held him. He had rationalised that those emotions he had felt had affected his opinion of her, the flushes of love and affection always quick to override his suspicion and alarm. Be that as it may, she was still there, sitting at the forefront of his mind with her kisses and smiles.

 

“I dreamt I was with a woman last night,” he declared suddenly, and everyone choked on their breakfast.

 

_ “Asari!”  _ G coughed, clearing his throat after nearly swallowing his spoon. “What in God’s name, man!?”

 

“Don’t say His name in vain!” Knuckles called down from the other end of the table, near Daemon who had his face in his hands.

 

“Asari, why are you talking about this at the table?” Giotto asked, looking like he was walking the border between amused and disturbed.

 

Asari blinked owlishly and said, “Some cultures believe that dreams hold meanings, I thought you could tell me what this meant.”

 

“It means you’ve gotta get laid!” G scoffed, “You’re so infatuated by your flute you don’t even realise human women are an option!”

 

Lampo rose from the table and walked out of the room, his hands over his ears and face carefully blank.

 

“But we weren’t consummating anything, and we were fully dressed,” Asari frowned, and Knuckles wheezed off to the side. “She just held me and talked to me.”

 

Lampo ducked his head back in and said, “Ew”, before disappearing one last time to retreat to his dorms.

 

“Maybe,” Giotto began, stopping G from mocking him any further. “Maybe it’s a sign that you should start looking for someone?”

 

“A prophetic dream!” Knuckles offered, “Tell me, Asari, what did this woman look like? Perhaps she is who God has destined you to spend your life with!”

 

Alaude finally looked up from his drink and pinched the bridge of his nose, asking whatever deity he thought worthy for patience. 

 

“She was...” Asari began, remembering the woman her in the lamp’s light. “She was of a darker shade, with these beautiful eyes that were, oh, the only way I can say it is ‘amber-earth’, like those two elements were liquified and mixed together on a dish.”

 

The image of such eyes made the men smile a bit, like they had envisioned it - or at least, they saw the way it affected Asari. 

 

“Her hair was cropped short into a masculine style and was cobalt,” he continued, all too happy to get this visage off his chest. “Her voice was smooth and deep and gentle to the ears. She was trying to get me to go back to sleep, so she never raised her voice beyond a soft murmur.”

 

“She was tall and bulky in the shoulders, with visible muscles in her arms-” that made the others glance to one another, but the swordsman was too deep in thought to bother. “And there was a scar in her right brow like she had been struck in the head. Her hands were rough and her knuckles had callouses, but she handled me with such care that it only became a comforting texture.” 

 

“Wait, how were you laying? Like, positioning,” Daemon squinted, and G sent him a look for actually getting invested in this. 

 

“She was reading a book at first and I was tucked into her side with her arms around me. Then while she talked to me, my head was on her chest so I could hear her heartbeat,” Asari explained, remembering how he nuzzled into her chest. “When she started falling asleep, she tucked me into her chest and we laid on our sides, facing one another.”

 

There was a moment of silence at the table and Asari looked up, suddenly very self-conscious, and he let out an awkward laugh.

 

“Sorry, is this sounding odd?”

 

“A bit,” Daemon admitted.

 

“Do you know her name?” Knuckles continued anyway, “If your image of her is so clear, perhaps you’ve seen her before.”

 

“Such a woman mustn't be very hard to find in the crowd,” Giotto agreed. “She would surely stick out.”

 

“She did feel real,” Asari nodded, touching his cheek for a moment. “Very real...But I don’t know her name.‘

 

“You said you talked, though. What did you refer to her as?” Daemon huffed, putting his chin in his hand.

 

The Rain paused and flushed at the memory; the action spiking his friend’s interest and investment in this story.

 

“I kept calling her ‘person’ at first because I didn’t quite understand what was going on, but something kept correcting me. I kept thinking things like ‘my love’, ‘my darling’ and ‘my wife’,” he admitted, rubbing his nape as his flush burnt redder. “And she called me things like ‘sweetheart’ and ‘honey’.” 

 

“Oh, God,” G groaned, rolling his eyes.

 

“Don’t say His name in vain, G!” Knuckles whined, having tried to impress that lesson on them for weeks. 

 

“Maybe you’ll find her one day, friend,” Giotto smiled, putting his hand on his Rain’s shoulder. “And when you do, introduce her to us. We’d love to meet your dream girl.”

 

Asari smiled and went back to his breakfast, wondering what it’d be like to have the woman beside him every morning when he woke up. To have that warmth with him always, to always feel that love.

 

As usual, such thoughts were eventually drowned out by work later on in the day. But the perk in his step never quite faded, even when Asari took a page to G to have a word translated for him.

 

**. . .**

 

It was around the third hour of the mourning that Asari finally managed to crawl away from his desk and get ready for bed. He had managed to get through his work, and it had left him with a cramp in his hand and an ache behind his eyes. 

 

The Rain slumped into bed the first chance he got, planting his face into his pillows and dragging his blankets high up onto his shoulders. He hummed and twiddled his feet in that space between mattress and blankets, enjoying the sensation before he fell into sleep.

* * *

“Oh, love,” Asari shifted as fingers combed through his hair and carded against places that made sparks of bliss tingle the back of his scalp. “You were working the whole time again, weren’t you?”

 

“There was a lot to do,” he heard himself murmur, and he opened his eyes to see the woman,  _ “my darling _ ”, leaning over him again. 

 

She hummed and continued to touch at him, keeping him drowsy and pliant under her attention. Her low voice played on his ears and drowned out the curiosity and caution that Asari thought he should have felt. 

 

“You’ve got to remember to look after yourself too,” the woman,  _ “my love” _ , scolded softly, gazing down at him with warm eyes and the slightest furrow of worry in her brow. He continued to watch her through lazy eyes when she bowed and kissed his temple. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

 

“Hm,” Asari sighed, closing his eyes as the woman moved around and pulled him to her chest, wrapping her arms around him and held him tight. “But if I get sick, then you’ve got to tend to my every need~!”

 

Asari nearly wheezed at his own tone of voice but the laughter that bubbled from _ “my wife”  _ soothed out the action and left him nuzzling against her breast. 

 

“And I’ll finally get to spend more time with you,” she agreed, propping herself up on her elbow and rested her cheek on her fist. “You’ve been working so much, you’ve been barely spending any time with me!”

 

Asari murmured and relished the weight of the woman’s arm draped across his waist, the ache in his head soothed by the warm scent of the bed. He smiled softly as she began to pet at the small of his back, treating the tense place with her fingers until the ache of being sat at his desk for hours began to melt away nicely.

 

“You’re all knotted up, huh?” the woman, _ “my darling”, _ hummed, running her hand all the way up his spine and feeling at his neck and shoulders. “Want me to help, my love?”

 

The Rain felt his heart jump at the endearment before he found his head nodding as he uttered, “Yes, please.”

 

The woman smiled and urged him to roll onto his front as they shuffled about and organised themselves, a weight settling on the back of his thighs where she rested her weight. Asari released a low noise as she yanked up the back of his nightshirt and laid her hands on his back, rubbing him over to relax his muscles.

 

“Here?” she asked, and the man made a soft sound of confirmation before she began to knead at the spot with the heel of her palm and fingers.

 

Asari purred contently as she manipulated and soothed his body until he had melted into their plush pillows and mattress. 

 

“You like that, huh?” the woman chuckled as she managed to undo a knot and liquify him. “My happy boy.”

 

“Your happy boy,” he agreed, before sighing as she dug her fingers just below his skull and worked at the tension in his nape. 

 

The woman worked him over from temple to toe until Asari was left loose and pliant on their mattress, eyes hooded and relaxed, something she only encouraged by carding his scalp softly while stroking her rough palm down his back. Though it wasn’t a deep, laborious sensation, the light touching somehow was unravelling his muscles in a gradual, urging manner that made his breath deeper and slower.

 

“Feeling better, my love?” she asked, voice barely a whisper and Asari could only groan appreciatively in response. “Want me to do your writing hand too?”

 

“Please,” he murmured sleepily, the bed shifting as  _ “my darling”  _ moved and settled at his side.

 

Asari felt himself bite back a soft whine, having grown used to the weight on the back of his thighs and the warmth that had settled with it, enjoying the secure feeling of having that woman astride him. He only made a small noise, however, when she pulled the blankets back on top of his form and her lap, before grasping his hand and pressed her fingers into his palm.

 

The Rain honestly couldn’t remember ever feeling this at ease, nor could he remember if this really was his ease or not; the sensations and emotions blending indecipherably at the woman’s _, “my wife’s”_ , touch and attention. He honestly didn’t care either. So long as she kept her hands on his skin, he’d be happy.

 

“Sleep. Sleep, darling,” the source of his bliss urged, brushing his hair out of his eyes so gently, still working at his hand. “You’ve worked all day. You deserve to rest. Sleep, my love.”

 

“You too,” he grumbled, and she blinked before smiling in that heartbreaking manner. “Come sleep.”

 

“Okay,” she hushed, stroking his scalp to lull him back into his drowsy state. 

 

The woman tugged at the blankets before sliding down and settling next to him, her hand laying on his back as she curled up on his side. 

 

Asari felt himself smile as she stroked his spine with her thumb and pressed a light kiss to his shoulder. He watched from under the thin, fuzzy veil of shallow awareness as “my wife” nuzzled at his bicep and sighed through her nose.

 

“I love you...” the woman hummed. 

 

Asari thought she said something after that, but he couldn’t quite hear it, his ears muted as if stuffed with cotton. He heard the beats of the word, however; a three syllable word.  

 

He smiled a bit and thought, A-Sa-Ri.

 

“I love you too, Daiki,” he found himself murmuring, and she smiled as she flushed.

 

The woman gazed at him from under her lashes before craning her neck and kissed the Rain softly, a happy hum whispering out against his lips. 

 

“Goodnight.”

* * *

Asari stared up at the ceiling as sunlight streamed in and cast patterns through the room. He breathed deeply, feeling the ease of his muscles and light phantom aches where fingers had reached in deep. 

 

Asari reached up and touched at his lips, before he smiled, “Daiki.”

 


End file.
